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Isa Soares Tonight
More Than 100 Dead After A Powerful Earthquake Strikes Myanmar And Thailand; Trump Appeals To The U.S. Supreme Court To Allow Deportations To Resume Under The Alien Enemies Act; First Israeli Strike Hit Beirut Since Ceasefire; Vance Takes Questions At U.S. Base In Greenland; U.S. Stocks Sink Amid Tariff And Inflation Worries; Rubio: At Least 300 Student Visas Have Been Revoked. Aired 2-3p ET
Aired March 28, 2025 - 14:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[14:00:00]
MAX FOSTER, HOST, ISA SOARES TONIGHT: A very warm welcome to the show, everyone, I'm Max Foster in for Isa Soares. Tonight, enormous damage as a
deadly earthquake strikes Myanmar. Emergency services in a race to find survivors with more than a 100 dead and countless more injured.
President Trump asked the highest court in the land to allow deportations to resume under the Alien Enemies Act. Plus, Israeli strikes hit southern
Beirut for the first time since the November ceasefire. And we're going to go to those stories in a moment, but first, we are waiting on Vice
President J.D. Vance. He's in Greenland, we expect him to speak at that podium.
It's in Pituffik, it's a space base, a U.S. space base. His comments come as President Donald Trump has threatened to acquire Greenland, of course,
we'll bring you Vance's comments as it happens. We are also facing that breaking news out of southeast Asia. It's past midnight in Myanmar, where
the country's military Junta has declared a state of emergency after a massive 7.7 magnitude earthquake.
It's now making a rare plea for international assistance. At least, 144 people have been killed there. Aid agencies are warning that the damage is
enormous. The quake hit near Myanmar's second largest city, Mandalay, on Friday, and tremors have also caused significant damage in neighboring
Thailand.
Video from Thailand's capital shows the moment a high-rise building collapsed entirely. At least, eight people have died because of it, and
rescuers there are working to reach more than a 100 people still trapped under the rubble. Another death was caused by a crane collapse elsewhere in
Bangkok with that.
Since Mike Valerio is live for us in Seoul. I mean, we're also getting a much picture of what bigger picture of what's happened in Thailand because
of the communications there. But we really have no idea about Myanmar.
MIKE VALERIO, CNN REPORTER: That's right, Max, and we're going to start in Thailand briefly for a moment. You know, we heard from Thailand's deputy
Prime Minister, and he said that even at this hour, rescue crews, when we look at that harrowing video of the skyscraper toppling down, he said that
rescue crews are making sure that they delicately, Max, gingerly removed different pieces of the rubble so that more collapses do not happen as
they're looking for survivors, and that debris field is where we'll start tonight.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
VALERIO (voice-over): A skyscraper in Thailand's capital, Bangkok, reduced to dust Friday. A massive earthquake in neighboring Myanmar destroying the
building. Authorities think many are trapped inside.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Earthquakes are not common in Bangkok or in Thailand, I've been living here for over ten years. This is the first earthquake I've
ever experienced here.
VALERIO: The earthquake's epicenter was about a 1,000 kilometers away, in the center of war-torn Myanmar. It hit just after mid-day local time with a
powerful after-shock minutes later. Residents in the city of Mandalay filmed collapsed buildings on their phones, while golden statues in some of
the temples were also damaged by the quake.
In Bangkok, the quake sent people fleeing homes and offices for the relative safety of the streets.
VARUNYOU ARMARTTAYAKUL, THAI OFFICE WORKER (through translator): I heard the noise of the cracking walls and cracking glass. Part of the ceiling
even collapsed. That's when I had to run out.
VALERIO: Water spilling from this hotel rooftop pool onto the roads below. Thailand's Prime Minister declaring the capital an emergency zone.
SHENGI WEI, PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR, EARTH OBSERVATORY OF SINGAPORE: It is not an unexpected event. We know that this place, this segment of the
fault, is likely to rupture as a big earthquake in the near future.
VALERIO: Tremors were felt as far away as China. Back in Bangkok, rescuers were hard at work to retrieve bodies from the rubble as people there and
across the border in Myanmar continue to reel from the tragedy.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
VALERIO: And when we're talking about Myanmar, one of the difficult things in the road ahead, Max, is launching a Herculean humanitarian effort, when
you have a country that is still in the midst of a civil war. This is a country that's run by a military government that is fighting rebel factions
in so many different parts of the country.
[14:05:00]
So, NGOs who are reaching out to us at CNN, who are talking to our counterparts around the world, are openly asking, how are they going to
channel aid when parts of the government are fighting different parts, different rebel factions who control various areas of the country? It's an
open question. Certainly, a hugely daunting task ahead, Max.
FOSTER: Yes, let's get a sense then of the damage there. Thank you so much, Mike. I want to bring in now Marie Manrique live from Yangon in Myanmar.
She's the program coordinator for the country's team of the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies. Thank you for joining us. How bad is
it?
MARIE MANRIQUE, PROGRAM COORDINATOR, INTERNATIONAL FEDERATION OF RED CROSS & RED CRESCENT SOCIETIES: Thank you. The situation is quite bad on the
ground, as you mentioned, I'm in Yangon, which is the largest city in the south of the country. The situation -- because that the center was in the
northwest, is where there's a great deal of damage.
We know that the emergency response team immediately started working, that includes the Myanmar Red Cross Society. And even though, it's past midnight
here, there is no doubt that teams are still working for the small window of opportunity that we have to save people that are still beneath the
rubble.
FOSTER: What sort of reaction are you seeing from the military there? They're appealing for international help, which is very rare, isn't it?
MANRIQUE: So, the authorities asked for international aid. There are six regions that have already been declared emergency zones. So that means that
they're under state of emergency, their emergency response will be focused in those areas as well as other areas throughout the country.
We're looking at a large scale earthquake that generally, earthquake at this time create a great deal of humanitarian needs, particularly emergency
health needs as well as water, sanitation, and of course, anything to do with housing and shelter for those people who have been affected.
FOSTER: Yes, because a lot of the buildings there are weak structures, aren't they? This is part of the issue and getting to them and supporting
the people that might have been in these buildings that collapsed more easily than they would have done in other -- in the main cities, for
example.
MANRIQUE: So, Mandalay is the second largest city in the country. So, we know that it's an urban area. Again, this is across the Irrawaddy River,
which is the largest river in the country, also has an urban center, but precisely as you mentioned there, rural areas in this -- Mandalay region
that have been hard hit.
And currently, the emergency response is trying to focus on also reaching those communities. I really want to emphasize the first responders in any
emergency are always the people from the communities themselves. Myanmar is a country known for its great deal of solidarity and community support, and
we know that those communities are working together, including the Myanmar Red Cross volunteers who are members of these communities.
FOSTER: So what --
(COUGHING)
FOSTER: So what help are you looking for when we talk about international help?
MANRIQUE: So, the international help that the international movement of the Red Cross and Red Crescent, that includes the International Federation as
well as the international committee of the Red Cross, who are all working together to support what would the emergency response, which generally, as
I mentioned, would probably always have a focus on health, water, sanitation and shelter needs.
And then we would have to be looking at mid-to-long-term needs, including needs around livelihoods that were directly impacted by this. Currently,
the focus has been on search and rescue, pre-hospital care, and then of course, supporting complementary work that's being done with all
stakeholders on the ground.
FOSTER: We're talking about the largest earthquake, aren't we? Since 1946? This isn't something that the -- you know, the current population are aware
of. I mean, how are they reacting to this?
MANRIQUE: So, Myanmar is actually known as an earthquake-prone country. So, perhaps different from other neighboring countries that were affected by
this earthquake and south India and Thailand, in particular, China. Some of the population have been aware of having smaller tremors previously, but as
you mentioned, this is the largest scale earthquake in decades.
The population is reacting, I would say as possible to react in a devastating disaster of this type, really trying to focus on saving
humanitarian lives and working together with other community actors. I really want to emphasize the importance of all those community actors,
including the Red Cross, as well as any other stakeholders that are on the ground.
[14:10:00]
We know that these include faith based institutions such as members of Buddhists and other religious communities as well.
FOSTER: Marie Manrique from the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, appreciate your time and good luck with your work today. Now,
well, regional tensions flare after the first major eruptions of violence between Israel and Lebanon in four months. Israel says it hit a key
Hezbollah stronghold in southern Beirut, its first strikes in Lebanon's capital since the ceasefire agreement in November.
This comes after reports two projectiles were fired from Lebanon. The Lebanese army says it found a possible launch site and is investigating.
Hezbollah has denied any involvement, saying it's committed to the ceasefire. CNN's Jeremy Diamond has the latest from Tel Aviv.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JEREMY DIAMOND, CNN JERUSALEM CORRESPONDENT (on camera): Israel on Friday carrying out an airstrike in the Lebanese capital after two rockets were
fired from Lebanon towards northern Israel. It is the first time since the November ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah went into effect that the
Israeli military has carried out strikes in Beirut.
The Israeli military said that they went after a Hezbollah drone storage facility. You can see the enormous blast caused by that airstrike. And in
the aftermath of that strike, absolute destruction, that entire building was leveled in that strike. And you can see the damage in this video. The
Israeli military issued evacuation orders for that area about an hour and a half before carrying out this strike, and it said it carried out this
strike in retaliation for those two rockets that were fired earlier on Friday against Israeli territory.
One of those rockets was intercepted by the Israeli military. The other fell short in Lebanese territory actually, according to the IDF. Now,
Hezbollah has denied that it was responsible for carrying out those rocket attacks. And in fact, the images that we have of those two rocket launchers
that were used in Friday's attack appear quite rudimentary, and it led Lebanon's President to say that he does not believe that this was
Hezbollah.
Instead, it seems more likely that this was a smaller militant group perhaps, that is also based in southern Lebanon. But the Israeli government
has made quite clear that they will consider any kind of attack from Lebanon towards Israel, that they will fire back at Hezbollah, whether or
not it was Hezbollah actually responsible for that attack.
They have also said that they will hold the Lebanese government responsible for any violations of the ceasefire that occur on Lebanese territory. And
this all comes at quite a precarious moment for Lebanon. It is just trying to stand up. This new government funding coming in from the United States
and France to stand up the Lebanese army and to send them into southern Lebanon, to take over territory that was previously largely held by
Hezbollah.
And now, the question is whether or not, the ceasefire will actually hold up. Questions over whether Hezbollah will feel the need to retaliate
against Israel for this strike in Beirut. A very tenuous moment, it's a very fragile moment, certainly, as everything seems to be escalating in the
region at the moment. Jeremy Diamond, CNN, Tel Aviv.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
FOSTER: Still to come, U.S. markets tumbling down. Right now, we'll be live with a look at what's behind the selloff on Wall Street. And in the U.S.,
President Trump is doubling down on deportations, now asking the highest court in the land to step in. We'll have a live report for you just ahead.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[14:15:00]
FOSTER: Vice President J.D. Vance speaking in Greenland where he's visiting currently.
JAMES DAVID VANCE, VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Or enemy submarine into the United States. It is the people here before us who would give
notice to our brave men and women further south in the United States to let people know what was coming, and God-willing, to try to shoot it down and
prepare for it.
That's one of the things that we do at installations like this. We know that Russia and China and other nations are taking an extraordinary
interest in Arctic passageways and Arctic Naval routes, and indeed in the minerals of the Arctic territories. We need to ensure that America is
leading in the Arctic, because we know that if America doesn't, other nations will fill the gap where we fall behind.
So, what you guys do is so critically important. I think a lot of Americans, certainly I didn't realize it fully until President Trump
started talking about the importance of our Arctic mission, about building upon it and ensuring that America can lead in the Arctic for the next
generation. And now, I want to talk about, of course, the interaction and what Denmark, I think has done and sometimes in partnership with us.
But let's be honest, what Denmark over the last 20 years has failed to do in some cases because we know that unfortunately, this place, this base,
the surrounding area is less secure than it was 30, 40 years ago because some of our allies haven't kept up. As China and Russia have taken greater
and greater interest in Greenland in this base, in the activities of the brave Americans right here, we know that too often, our allies in Europe
have not kept pace.
They haven't kept pace with military spending, and Denmark has not kept pace in devoting the resources necessary to keep this base, to keep our
troops, and in my view, to keep the people of Greenland safe from a lot of very aggressive incursions from Russia, from China and from other nations.
Now, President Trump, as he says all the time and as a lot of people recognize, is a President of peace, we want to have good relationships with
everybody, that includes even to the extent possible, the Chinese and the Russians. But part of having good relations is showing your strength when
you have to.
And unfortunately, the story of Greenland over the past 20 years when it comes to security, is that we've underinvested in the infrastructure, we've
underinvested in the security architecture, and we've underinvested in the brave men and women who are doing a very hard job, as Mike said, to keep
all of us safe.
That has to change. Now, when I pointed out a couple of weeks ago that in some ways, with all due respect to our Danish allies, they had not kept
pace. There was a lot of criticism from Denmark, a lot of attacks at the Trump administration, at the President, at me, at others in our
administration for saying the obvious, which is that Denmark hasn't done a good job at keeping Greenland safe.
And you know, one of the things I heard was, well, what about the many Danes who lost their lives in the war on terror, fighting alongside the
United States? Well, look, we obviously honor the sacrifice of our Danish friends in the war on terror 20 years ago, just as, for example, the French
honor, the sacrifice of Americans in Normandy 80 years ago.
But recognizing that there are important security partnerships in the past does not mean that we can't have disagreements with allies in the present
about how to preserve our shared security for the future. And that's what this is about. There is no amount of bullying, no amount of obfuscating, no
amount of confusing the issue. Our message to Denmark is very simple.
You have not done a good job by the people of Greenland. You have underinvested in the people of Greenland, and you have underinvested in the
security architecture of this incredible, beautiful land mass filled with incredible people. That has to change. And because it hasn't changed, this
is why President Trump's policy in Greenland is what it is.
It's consistent with the first Trump administration, where you saw significant investments in Arctic security, and it will continue over the
next four years under President Trump's leadership. And let me finally, before I kick it over to the media, make one comment about the people of
Greenland. I, you know, the colonel here, the base commander who came here first as a second lieutenant, and I guess, colonel, this is your second
duty station here and we're proud of you and proud of all of you guys who are serving and helping keep us safe.
You know, I heard a lot about the respect that our American troops show for the local Greenlandic population. The way that we make and create shelter
for hunters and dogsledders, the way that we found ways to turn over traditional tribal land to some of the local populations in order to ensure
that they're able to live in accordance with their values.
[14:20:00]
We respect, as the President said in his State of the Union address, we respect the self-determination of Greenlandic -- Greenlanders, excuse me.
We believe in the self-determination of the population of the people of Greenland. And our argument is very simple. It is not with the people of
Greenland who I think are incredible and have an incredible opportunity here.
Our argument really is with the -- is with the leadership of Denmark, which has under-invested in Greenland and under-invested in its security
architecture. That simply must change. It is the policy of the United States that, that will change. And I'm proud to be able to stand here with
so many brave Americans to better understand the security mission and better understand what you guys do each and every day.
For that, I'm grateful for your service, I'm even more grateful, I love you guys, I'm proud of you guys, and President Trump stands behind you and will
for the remainder of his administration. Thank you all. God bless you.
(APPLAUSE)
VANCE: All right, now we'll take a few questions. Both of you guys have your hands up. Whoever can go first. Red scarf, go first.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Oh, sir, thank you, Mr. Vice President. Do you have any plans or are there plans to expand the U.S.' military presence in
Greenland beyond this base?
VANCE: Well, are there immediate plans to expand our military presence? No. But are there -- are there general objectives that we want to accomplish
that will certainly require us investing more resources, investing in additional military, you know, icebreakers, investing in additional Naval
ships that will have a greater presence in Greenland? Absolutely.
And we know that's necessary because we know, as Mike talked about and certainly I talked about, there has been an expansion of the security
footprint and the security interest of Russia and China. They're doing what they believe is in their interest, the United States must do what I know is
in our interest, which is to make sure that Greenland is safe.
If Greenland doesn't have self-determination, if the people of Greenland have their future controlled by the Chinese Communist Party, it's not going
to make their lives better off, and most importantly, it's going to make American and world national security -- world security much weaker. We
can't -- in some ways need to wake up.
We need to wake up from a failed 40-year consensus that said that we could ignore the encroachment of powerful countries as they expand their
ambitions, we can't just bury our head in the sand or in Greenland, bury our head in the snow and pretend that the Chinese are not interested in
this very large land mass. We know that they are.
They've taken steps to put Greenland in ridiculous debt traps, to invest and exploit the resources here, and we know that they're sending a lot of
military resources here. Yes, over the medium term, the United States will meet that challenge. We will put our own resources here. We already have a
lot of great resources here, but we know we're going to have to do more to counter some of our -- some of the nations that we know that we're
competitive with. Sure.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Thank you so much, Mr. Vice President. And the President said today that we have to have Greenland. By being here today,
are you also conveying that message that the U.S. is very serious in its desire to acquire Greenland?
VANCE: Well, the President said, we have to have Greenland, and I think that we do have to be more serious about the security of Greenland. We
can't just ignore this place. We can't just ignore the President's desires. But most importantly, we can't ignore what I said earlier, which is the
Russian and Chinese encroachment in Greenland. We have to do more.
Now, what the President said in his State of the Union address, and he was very clear about this, is we respect the self-determination of the people
of Greenland, but my argument again, to them is, I think that you'd be a lot better having -- coming under the United States security umbrella than
you have been under Denmark's security umbrella, because what Denmark's security umbrella has meant is effectively, they've passed it all off to
brave Americans and hope that we would pick up the tab.
We're simply saying to the people of Greenland, when the President says, we've got to have Greenland, he's saying, this island is not safe. A lot of
people are interested in it. A lot of people are making a play, we know that America cares about the security of this island for the people -- for
the sake of the people of Greenland, but also for the sake of the national security interests of the United States of America.
So, our message is very simple, yes, the people of Greenland are going to have self-determination, we hope that they choose to partner with the
United States, because we're the only nation on earth that will respect their sovereignty and respect their security, because their security is
very much our security as these brave Americans show.
[14:25:00]
JOHN PARKINSON, ABC NEWS: Thank you. John Parkinson with "ABC News". Thanks for bringing us along on this historic trip. I wanted to ask you about last
week's news with "The Atlantic". We've had a couple of questions on Greenland, I feel like you've answered that, but I did want to ask, did you
express your concerns to the President that you were opposed to the Houthis strike?
And also, what did you mean when you asked or when you said in that thread that the President wasn't aware that his directions for Yemen were
inconsistent with his message on Europe?
VANCE: Well, I didn't quite say that. I think that's a slight misunderstanding of what I said. But we've talked, of course, in the
American media about Signal-gate, as I called it, for the past week. And here's what I told the President and the entire national security team is
that, yes, it is in the interest of the United States of America to preserve navigation.
Yes, it is in the interest of the United States to kill terrorists who are preventing navigation in the Red Sea. But we've got to make sure that we do
it right. We have to be careful. We have to make sure the timing is right. And of course, what that leak revealed, I think is a private communication
between the President's senior advisors about how best to prepare the American people for what we all thought we had to do about the right timing
of when we should do something.
And of course, surfacing the strategic questions that we needed to decide and brief the President on, so that he could ultimately make the decision
about what we would do. What I saw in that Signal chat, and of course, what I've seen in the President's senior national security team is that
sometimes we all agree and sometimes we all disagree, but it's important that we all have an honest conversation amongst ourselves and with the
President of the United States about what we think is the best interest of the national security of the United States of America.
I support the President's decision to strike the Houthis. I always supported the President's decision to strike the Houthis, and I support the
national security team having the argument about how best to serve the American people. Go ahead..
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: In your security briefing today, did you see specific threats coming from China and Russia, things that you did not know about
before? Are we talking battleships, icebreakers, any type of military equipment or is it economic?
VANCE: Well, I don't want to get too specific, but yes, we know that the Chinese are very interested in this island. We've seen some of the economic
pressures that they've tried to place on Greenland. We know that they're increasingly engaging in military training and military interest,
certainly, they've started to describe themselves as a near-Arctic power.
And part of that is justifying taking a further interest in Greenland and some of the surrounding territories. So, we've seen very strong evidence
that both the Chinese and the Russians are interested in Greenland. And why wouldn't they be interested in Greenland? It's a beautiful place. It has
incredible people. It has a -- its geographic placement makes it very important for the national security of the United States, but for world
security.
What we have to recognize is that if the Chinese and the Russians are going to pursue their national interest, we need a President who is going to
pursue the American national interest, and that means ensuring that Greenland is safe.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: When can we expect an update on the internal investigation into that Signal chat leak? Has that investigation concluded,
and what are the findings?
VANCE: I think we'll get an update soon. Look, we take it very seriously. We all accept that a journalist should not have been invited into the chat,
and members of the administration including my dear friend Mike, have taken responsibility for it.
But I find the American media's obsession with this issue very interesting, because I happen to remember about four years ago when American military
leadership made a catastrophic error that got 13 innocent Americans killed in Afghanistan and had about $80 billion in military equipment turned over
to one of the worst terrorist organizations in the world.
And for years, the American media ran cover, ran cover for a Biden administration that refused to fire any generals or even launch an internal
investigation that was meaningful and substantive about what happened. And now, the same American media that covered for the Biden administration
after the untimely death and the unnecessary death of 13 brave Americans is really interested in forcing the President of the United States to fire
someone because of a Signal chat, because of a Signal chat.
That is not honest behavior from the American media. And if you think you're going to force the President of the United States to fire anybody,
you've got another thing coming. President Trump has said it on Monday, on Tuesday, on Wednesday, on Thursday, and I'm the Vice President saying it
here on Friday, we are standing behind our entire national security team. Yes, good.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The tariffs. There's been some retaliation, some signals, at least in the media, that Canada is going to respond, some of
these others are going to respond to the President's tariffs. What's your message for Americans that are going to see cost increase on auto
manufacturing, new cars, that kind of thing? Is it by America or what's the message going forward there?
[14:30:06]
VANCE: Well, let me say a couple of things. First of all, for the -- for the Canadians -- and we have many dear friends in Canada and of course we
love the Canadian people, but the Canadian leadership threatening retaliatory tariffs against the United States, as President Trump often
says, they just don't have the cards. There is no way that Canada can win a trade war with the United States. What President Trump has said is that he
wants to level the playing field.
For decades Canadian leadership has forced American farmers and American manufacturers to play by an unfair set of rules. All President Trump has
said is that we're done playing by an unfair set of rules. If you're going to do something to our industries, then we're going to do something back to
your industries. That's how you protect American manufacturing, and that's how you protect American jobs.
Now, what I'd say to the American people is look, the President ran on this and he said very clearly that we're done being the piggy bank of the entire
world. For 40 years, in the same way that our European friends I think have neglected international security, for 40 years a lot of our friends all
over the world have used America as a piggy bank. They have used us to absorb all of their excess economic production.
And what does that meant for Americans? For Americans, that's meant manufacturing jobs declining. That's meant middle class wages going down.
That's meant whole towns that have been hollowed out by empty factories. And that means in America that is less safe because our manufacturing isn't
as powerful now as it was 30 years ago.
I've got all these brave Americans in front of me and a few behind me too. We want to send -- if God forbid we have to send Americans to war, we want
them to have weapons the best weapons in the world that are manufactured in America and not in China. The way you do that is to rebuild the American
manufacturing sector. The days of America being the piggy bank of the world, the days of closed factories, the days of people not being able to
get a middle class job in this country, they're over.
And yes that means we're going to have to fight back even against some of our friends in their unfair economic practices, but the long-term
consequence of this is going to be higher wages, more manufacturing, and more economic security for the American people.
We'll take a couple more questions.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: On Russia, has the U.S. agreed to those conditions that the Kremlin said were needed for that truce in the Black Sea that
included lifting sanctions imposed on Russian banks? Trump said this week that you were still looking at it.
VANCE: Well, there are a couple of different stat stats that are floating around out there and some of them I think are mistranslations and some of
them are not totally clear what is even being asked for. But the President has said, and I -- and he's right that I think we feel very good about
where things are. We trust but verify. We make sure that what we're seeing from one party is met by the other party and vice versa. But I think that
we've made an incredible amount of progress.
We have to remember that this war started under Joe Biden's Administration. It has led to an unbelievable amount of death and destruction. And for the
first time in almost four years, thanks to President Trump's leadership, we have an opportunity to really achieve a peaceful settlement. The President
is going to fight every single day to make sure that happens. And of course, we'll keep you guys updated as we continue to make progress.
I do think if you look at what we've talked about -- we've obviously got this energy infrastructure ceasefire. We've got a Black Sea commercial
ceasefire that I think is almost done. And once we get there, we'll work on the next stage of the ceasefire. Yes.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The President has previously not ruled out military force when he's talking about taking over Greenland, but your rhetoric
today is more about encouraging the Greenlandic people to vote for independence. Do you think the rhetoric has changed about that or what
what's your message there?
VANCE: No, I don't think it's changed at all. Look, the President has said clearly he doesn't think that military force is going to be necessary, but
he absolutely believes that Greenland is important part of the security not just of the United States but of the world and of course the people of
Greenland too.
It's very simple. I think the President's been very consistent here from his State of the Union, from his inaugural address, and every public
statement that he's made, this territory, Greenland, really matters for the security of the United States. It's extremely vulnerable right now. And if
the people of Greenland were willing to partner with the United States -- and I think that they ultimately will partner with the United States, we
could make them much more secure, we could do a lot more protection. And I think they'd fair a lot better economically as well.
This has to happen. And the reason it has to happen -- I hate to say it -- is because our friends in Denmark have not done their job in keeping this
area safe. They just haven't done it. It's very simple. For all of our friends in the American Media who attack the administration for pointing
out the obvious, what is the alternative, to give up the North Atlantic? To give up the Arctic to China, to Russia, and to other regimes that don't
have the best interest of the American people at heart?
We have no other option. We need to take a significant position in Greenland to keep the people here safe but to keep our own country safe
too. We'll do -- we'll just do one or two more. Yes.
[14:35:11]
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Trump said this week the U.S. would go as far as we have to go to acquire Greenland. In that same vein -- on that question, are
there plans that have been drafted to use military force to take over Greenland?
VANCE: Well, what the President has said like is that we need to have more of a position in Greenland. We need it again for the safety of the American
people. And what we think is going to happen is that the Greenlanders are going to choose through self-determination to become independent of Denmark
and then we're going to have conversations with the people of Greenland from there.
So, I think that talking about anything too far in the future is way too premature. We do not think that military force is ever going to be
necessary. We think this makes sense. And because we think the people of Greenland are rational and good, we think we're going to be able to cut a
deal Donald Trump-style to ensure the security of this territory but also the United States of America.
I'll do one more question.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You spoke about economic interests, how the us could develop Greenland more economically. Could you speak a little bit more
about that? I know Secretary Wright is here. Have you guys spoken about energy? Senator Lee is here as well. I'm just wondering what those
discussions have been like.
VANCE: No. My point actually is that other countries have explicitly gone after Greenland, and I think with a mind towards economic exploitation.
Sometimes asking Greenland to get itself into terrible economic debt traps that would make the people of Greenland not self-determined and sovereign,
but to mortgage their future to hostile foreign countries that don't have their best interest at heart.
That is not what the United States of America wants to do. What we want to do is to protect the security of this territory because it matters for us
and it matters for the people who live here.
All right, guys, thank you all. And let me just say one more final word to the Guardians, the Airmen, the other servicemembers gathered here. Thank
you from the bottom of my heart. It is incredible to be a vice president who has served just as our NSA Mike Waltz has served. To know the sacrifice
that comes along with it. And to see that there are still incredible young Americans willing to put on the uniform and serve this country. You make
America a better place and you make an honor to serve as your vice president.
God bless you, guys. Thanks for having me.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
FOSTER: J.D. Vance speaking in Greenland. They're very -- you know, we're covering it live. The whole world has been looking to see how he was going
to translate this idea that Donald Trump has described of Greenland becoming part of America effectively.
Matthew Chance is with us. It does -- I mean, the question was asked about this. It does feel like an evolving policy because he's talking about -- he
was appealing to the people of Greenland to -- he respected their self- determination, calling on them to choose to partner with the U.S. So, he's going for a democratic route.
MATTHEW CHANCE, CNN CHIEF GLOBAL AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT: I definitely think he was -- he sort of toned down some of the rhetoric we've been hearing
from President Trump. He talked about how the President says we need to have Greenland. But what I say is that we need to be more serious about
security in Greenland.
And I think that was the thrust of what he was talking about, you know, spelling out why Greenland is so strategically important for the United
States and for the rest of the world. All that is of course true, particularly when you've given, you know, the ambitions that Russia and
China have as J.D. Vance was saying there in the -- in the Arctic.
But I mean, there's a -- there's a contradiction problem at the heart of that which is that the United States already has the ability to upscale its
military presence inside Greenland.
FOSTER: They have a treaty.
CHANCE: A treaty from the 1950s. It can build a submarine dock there if it wants to. It can build more military bases. Actually, the Greenlandic
people and the Danes are very open to that. They're also open to American involvement in the exploitation of Greenland's resources as well. And so --
FOSTER: He mentioned minerals early on, didn't he?
CHANCE: Yes. And Greenland's got a lot of them. It's just this -- it's just a sort of -- you know, it's a bewildering sort of stance that the United
States has to annex or take ownership in some way of Greenland in order for the security aspect of it to be -- to be realized.
FOSTER: He's saying basically Denmark hasn't invested in security or in the people. So, it felt like a speech to Greenlanders, didn't it?
CHANCE: I mean, I guess so. I mean, look -- I mean, you know, one democratic way I suppose of approaching this would be to appeal as J.D.
Vance just did to Greenlanders and say look, you'll be better off, you know, with us rather than on the outside of the United States.
FOSTER: Yes.
CHANCE: But I mean, the truth is, I mean, there's very little appetite in Greenland for that kind of relationship. They've been struggling for
decades for their own independence from Denmark. The last thing they want - - for the most part -- there may be some exceptions of course -- is to go from one sort of colonial overlord in Denmark to another in the -- in the
United States.
And you know, the -- you know, politicians from across the political spectrum in Denmark and in Greenland have made that pretty clear, but it
doesn't sound like the U.S. administration is listening.
[14:40:12]
FOSTER: He was adding some context to that though, wasn't he? He was saying that China and Russia are moving into the Arctic creating this atmosphere
where the Greenlanders do need to be defended. So, he's basically saying America or Denmark.
FOSTER: Again, look, no one is disputing the idea that Russia is a big power in the Arctic and that is increasingly aggressive and that Greenland
is potentially an important part of the -- of the --of securing America and the West in that region. But you know you got to remember. There's only one
leader in the world that I've seen who's spoken positively about this initiative by the United States to take over Greenland and that's Vladimir
Putin in the Kremlin, right, because he knows very well that if the U.S. annexes Greenland, that would legitimize his own annexations in places like
Ukraine for instance. And he also knows about the strain this is putting on the Western Alliance, on NATO. It's been a longstanding objective of the
Kremlin to shatter that alliance and this is helping to do that.
FOSTER: Yes. OK. Matthew, thank you so much.
We can actually speak to a Danish Greenlandic lawmaker, Aki-Matilda Hoegh- Dam. Can you hear me OK, Aki?
AKI-MATILDA HOEGH-DAM, GREENLANDIC INDEPENDENT POLITICIAN: Yes, I hear you fine. Thank you. Greenlandic lawmaker. Thanks.
FOSTER: Yes. I was going to say -- I looked at the script and I haven't heard of a Danish Greenlandic. Anyway, let's move on from that. What did
you make of that speech? Did you catch much of it?
HOEGH-DAM: Yes, I did listen to the speech. I think it was overwhelmingly positive against Greenland which we didn't really know what to expect,
honestly. But since we have heard different kinds of rhetoric throughout the different months, I would say that this was the most overwhelming
positive rhetoric I've heard towards Greenland for now.
FOSTER: It was interesting, wasn't it? Because as Matthew was saying, this wasn't the argument Donald Trump has been making that Greenland effectively
needs to become part of America and be taken over. This was an appeal to Greenlanders to vote for American partnership away from Danish partnership.
Is that how you felt it?
HOEGH-DAM: That was not how I felt it, but I did feel like there was overwhelmingly wish for supporting Greenlandic independence, since we have
been fighting for our independence in the since the 1970s. And we think it's important to have partnerships even with Denmark and the rest of the
world, and we have always wanted a closer partnership with the United States without the United States going through Denmark but talking to us
directly about us and our country.
And I do believe that we can make that work if the tone is still being respectful and always taking concern that our land is our land.
FOSTER: I think you have a more positive view of America than some of your colleagues, am I -- is it right in saying that? Because you have talked
about partnership with America when some of your counterparts are absolutely rolling that out. They want full independence, don't they?
HOEGH-DAM: Greenlanders -- majority of Greenlanders want full independence. We do want that. If you do look at the other parties of Greenland, they
have even written in this election we have had recently that they want closer relationship with the United States. But the rhetoric have changed
majorly during the talks of annexation. So, it really depends on how we're going to have these respectful talks. And it's not going to be determined
by whether or not we want closer relationship with the United States, but we do want Greenlanders to be respected, to be acknowledged that this is
our own nation. And we do want external self-determination if we can secure our security.
That's how it is for all Greenlanders. But if the rhetoric is harsh against Greenland, we can also be very firm about what we mean and our stands for
our right to our own country.
FOSTER: You're a very small population. You do need security guarantees from someone, don't you? You're currently getting them from Denmark.
America does offer a bigger security guarantee. I think that's effectively what he's saying. And you need to be aware of it because Russia and China
are moving in.
HOEGH-DAM: Yes.
FOSTER: What do you think of that?
HOEGH-DAM: Well, we have always have a major security hold through Denmark. I am elected representative for Greenland. I'm elected to the Danish
Parliament and I am elected to the Greenlandic parliament as well. And through my election and lawmaking through Denmark, I do know a lot about
the Danish security issues in Greenland.
And we do lack a lot of security for Greenland through the Danish Parliament. A lot of the security we already have is through the United
States through the Pituffik Space Base. And we do think it is important that we should strengthen our security. The rhetoric that have been going
on especially the escalation through works like annexation have of course been worrisome for all.
But we do believe that we have to be very smart about this. We have to be pragmatic about this. If we look at the rest of the world, what's going on
with Russia, what's going on with China, I think we have to be very close - - open-minded about how we're going to tackle this and how we're going to secure democracy and freedom for all.
[14:45:41]
FOSTER: OK. Aki-Matilda Hoegh-Dam, thank you so much for joining us from Greenland.
HOEGH-DAM: Thank you.
FOSTER: Do stay with CNN. We'll be right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
FOSTER: U.S. stocks are sinking. With less than two hours left to trade on Wall Street, the Dow currently down more than 700 points. That comes after
consumer sentiment numbers went sharply lower. That's according to a new survey. Worries about tariffs weighing on the U.S. Economy.
Joining me now, Vanessa Yurkevich. Was it that consumer data or is it this ongoing tariff concern?
VANESSA YURKEVICH, CNN BUSINESS AND POLITICS CORRESPONDENT: It's really both and a lot of other economic data that we got this morning. I just want
to start with some inflation data that we received here this morning. This is PCE. This is a measure that the Federal Reserve likes to look at. When
you look at the core inflation -- this is inflation looking at things that take out food and energy, that increased unexpectedly.
And that was worrisome for investors as they are now looking towards also the next phase of the trade war that could increase prices even further.
So, higher prices as it's looking in this inflation report with presumably higher prices coming down the road. That is concerning to investors. Also
consumer spending was a bit softer in the month of February. It was about 0.4 percent. And January's numbers, consumer spending numbers, were
actually revised down. So, that shows that people may be pulling back a little bit on spending.
And then as you mentioned, Max, that consumer sentiment report that we got from the University of Michigan, they say that consumer sentiment fell by
about 12 percent in the month of March. That's the third straight month of sentiment declining. About two-third of consumers are worried about rising
unemployment. And other folks in that survey are indicating that they're worried about inflation and what that's going to look like in the next
year. And that of course is tied to tariffs.
Tariffs most economists agree will raise prices, and that is what consumers are very worried about. And you can see the markets there reacting to this
picture of economic data as well as the tariffs set to go into effect on April 2nd, those reciprocal tariffs, and as well as the tariffs on autos on
April 3rd. And you can see markets right now just down 750 points, the Dow down there. You have the NASDAQ and the S&P also down close to two percent.
Really Wall Street finishing out a week in the -- looking like they're going to finish out the week in the red, Max.
[14:50:43]
FOSTER: OK. Vanessa, thank you. Stay with CNN. We'll be back in just a moment.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
FOSTER: Now to the growing outrage over foreign students who critics say have been targeted for exercising their free speech rights. Let's start
with Mahmoud Khalil. He's detained -- he's a detained Columbia graduate who was involved in pro-Palestinian protests on campus last year. A few hours
ago, a hearing on where Khalil's case should continue ended without a decision.
He was arrested on March 8th at his New York apartment and was moved to a Louisiana detention center. About 100 protesters gathered to demonstrate in
support of Khalil just outside the courthouse where the hearing was to be held or was held.
Now, another foreign national affiliated with prestigious American universities is Rumeysa Ozturk. She's a Turkish Tufts University doctoral
candidate who was arrested by immigration officers earlier this week. Surveillance video appears to show six plain clothes officers surrounding
Ozturk and didn't show their badges until she was restrained.
She set to have an initial hearing early next month in Louisiana. And her lawyers have asked the court to restore her student visa that has now been
terminated by the State Department. U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio was asked about Ozturk's case. He says hundreds of student visas have already
been revoked.
[14:55:11]
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MARCO RUBIO, U.S. SECRETARY OF STATE: Every time I find one of these lunatics, I take away their visa.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It could -- you're saying it could be more than 300 visas revoked.
RUBIO: Sure. I hope -- I mean, at some point I hope we run out because we've gotten rid of all of them. Why would any country in the world allow
people to come and disrupt? We gave you a visa to come and study and get a degree, not to become a social activist that tears up our university
campuses. And if we've given you a visa and then you decide to do that, we're going to take it away.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
FOSTER: These are at least seven such students who had valid visas to study in the U.S. The students say the Trump Administration is targeting them for
protected Free Speech after they took part in protests against the war in Gaza.
An update for you now on the breaking news we have been following out of Southeast Asia at this hour. Rescuers are searching for survivors after a
massive 7.7 magnitude earthquake hit Myanmar and neighboring Thailand too. The World Health Organization says the damage is enormous and Myanmar's
Military Junta is making a rare plea for international assistance. It says at least 144 people have been killed.
In Thailand's capital, Bangkok, search and rescue operations are underway after a building under construction collapsed. At least eight people have
died because of it and 10 people are believed to be trapped still under that rubble.
Do stay with CNN. I'll have more news coming up in the next hour.
END
